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                      Facebook Atheist Jailed in Indonesia

   by Kate Lamb

   JAKARTA - An Indonesian man extolling the virtues of atheism and
   posting controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad online has been
   jailed for two-and-a-half years. It is a verdict human rights activists
   say is a step backward for the majority Muslim nation they say is known
   for religious tolerance.

   It was posting the words "God does not exist" on his Facebook page that
   first caused trouble for 30-year-old Alexander Aan.

   The civil servant from Sumatra was beaten by an angry mob and later
   arrested, but it was not only for his admission of atheism.

   Aan had also posted several explicit cartoons of the prophet Muhammad
   online, one depicting the prophet having sex with his servant, another
   that showed him finding his daughter-in-law sexually alluring.

   Facing charges of blasphemy, inciting hatred and encouraging atheism, a
   Sumatra court ruled Thursday that Aan will spend the next
   two-and-a-half years in prison and pay a $10,000 fine.

   His lawyer Deddi Alparesi said the decision is unjust. The judges did
   not consider the facts, Aparesi said, as Alexander never intended to
   spread religious hatred.

   The lawyer also pointed out that an Islamic professor even took to the
   stand to verify that Aan is "theologically anxious" and does not have
   anyone with whom he can discuss his thoughts on atheism.

   While the charges of blasphemy and promoting atheism were dismissed,
   Aan was found guilty of spreading religious hatred under the
   controversial 2008 electronic transactions law.

   His legal team intends to appeal the ruling, but analysts say it is
   another setback for religious freedom in Indonesia.

   Like the uproar in many Muslim-majority countries following the 2005
   publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad in a Danish
   newspaper, the case has raised debate over the distinction between
   freedom of expression and inciting religious hatred.

   Andreas Harsono from [1]Human Rights Watch compared Aan's sentence with
   the few months Islamic hardliners were given for beating three
   individuals to death last year in Jakarta.  He says the ruling is
   symbolic of deepening religious intolerance.

   "It says a lot about the relative impunity of people that commit
   violence in the name of religion, meanwhile while those people who
   politely using no violence, no matter how controversial it is, is now
   being punished to 30 months in prison," Harsono said.

   In other acts of religious intolerance across the country this week, a
   national book publisher was pressured into burning hundreds of copies
   of a book that allegedly defames the prophet.

   In Aceh, religious conservatives demanded the closure of 20 churches
   and, last week, there was a move to ban the sale of tight clothing in
   the sharia ruled province.

   Earlier this month, flamboyant U.S. pop star Lady Gaga canceled the
   Jakarta leg of her Asian tour after Islamic hardliners threatened to
   block the concert.

   Freedom of religion is technically guaranteed in the world's
   most-populous Muslim nation, but Indonesians must adhere to one of the
   six official religions. Atheism is not a sanctioned option.
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   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/facebook-athiest-jailed-in-indonesia/
   1211423.html

References

   1. http://www.hrw.org/
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/facebook-athiest-jailed-in-indonesia/1211423.html